Comments on: I now pronounce you Mrs. So-and-so

By: La BellaDonna

La BellaDonna — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:08:42 +0000

Or you could be like me … after waiting in line on three different occasions at the SSA office, I just started identifying myself as Mrs. Hislastname, without ever doing the paperwork. It would have come in handy, too, if I’d gone back to Ms. Maiden Name after the divorce, but I’ve spent more time with this last name (although I’ve used my maiden name as my “new” middle name with his last name).

That was back in the Jurassic, though; it’s tougher these days. Or not; some women may be Ms. Maiden Name professionally, and Mrs. Hislastname socially, which is, essentially, kind of sort of what I did.

By: Pencils

Pencils — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:19:44 +0000

What a hassle. This is one of the reasons why I’m keeping my name. The other is that my husband’s last name is fairly common, but nearly identical to a slang term for penis. Also, I happen to like my name, I’ve had it for forty years, it’s unusual, and it’s shared by a very important mathematician, so I get asked if I’m a descendant at times. (Officially, I have no idea, although I doubt it, but sometimes I say “yes” just to mess with people.)

By: Never teh Bride

Never teh Bride — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 18:16:18 +0000

Well of course those ladies are excluded, JC. I would never presume that all brides change their names – or that all grooms keep theirs! I can certainly change my text to reflect that And on the subject of grooms, those who do choose to adopt a new surname get the short end of the stick in most of the U.S., as they have to go through normal channels involving court orders to legally change their names after marriage. Unfair!

By: JC

JC — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 14:46:53 +0000

“Somehow, I trust that each of you will be able to handle letting the phone company and your bank know you’ve changed your name.”

Each of us? What about the ladies who keep their surname?

By: C*

C* — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:58:07 +0000

Thank GOD my mother works for the Social Security Administration and I can give her my paperwork to get my name changed (she can’t process it but she can have someone else in her office do it so I don’t have to wait in line). A friend of mine waited 4 hours in the local office here and the actual “name change” took less than 3 minutes. What a waste of time. They really should have an express line or something at the SSA offices for people who are doing quick things like name changes. It’s so unfair to make people wait hours and hours for a 2 minute process.

By: Alaina

Alaina — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:09:26 +0000

I don’t know if this has happened to anyone else, but when I went through the name change process in Virginia I had a terrible time at the DMV and Social Security offices. I had my driver’s license changed first, but they wanted my new SS card for identification, and then at the SS office, they asked for the driver’s license. It was a mess! In addition to that, I had changed residency from Ohio to Virginia when I was married, and proving to the state of Virginia that my Ohio marriage license was official and no, we do not get change-of-name forms was just a blast!